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创立 (chuàng lì) — to establish, to found, to set up

Definition

创立 focuses on founding something new — a company, organization, or system. Among siblings, 创建 is the closest synonym; 创立 sounds slightly more formal, while 创办 emphasizes the act of launching/running it.

verb
to establishto foundto set up

Examples

  • 创立。
    Tā chuàng lì le yí gè fēi yíng lì zǔ zhī.
    He founded a non-profit organization.
  • 创立。
    Zhè ge pǐn pái shì shí nián qián chuàng lì de.
    This brand was founded ten years ago.
  • 创立。
    Tā men jué dìng chuàng lì yí gè quán xīn de jiào yù tǐ xì.
    They decided to establish a completely new education system.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

创chuàngcreate
立lìset up

Both 创 and 立 mean bring into being and set up, so together they express establishing or founding.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 創; 创 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
刀刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng創chuàng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 創 pairs 倉 with 刀 (knife) to write 'wound', and 倉 gives the pronunciation. The simplified 创 is a later shorthand.

Open 创 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

立 pictures a person standing on the ground.

Open 立 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Business & Commerce

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